Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said the Narendra Modi government must prepare separate plans for the short term, the medium term and the long term after consultations with state governments for economic recovery once the country tackled Covid-19 crisis.
“The central government must prepare a long-term, short-term and mid-term plan after consulting state governments,” Mamata said. “While we will abide by all the guidelines and directions from the Centre regarding this, as the implementing authorities, state governments should be heard out, on where they stand, what the preparations are, what the exact situation in the state is.”
The Trinamul Congress chief said the Centre should start with transferring Rs 10,000 to the account of those suffering because of the lockdown in the MSME and unorganised sectors.
“This same government had once promised Rs 15 lakh in every account… this much, Rs 10,000 to those most affected, they can send,” Mamata said.
She asked the Centre for special packages for workers in sectors such as jute and tea, where many have not been getting paid.
Besides, said Mamata, the Centre should release dues to Bengal and other states, each amounting to tens of thousands of crores.
“Also, what about that special Covid relief package of Rs 10 lakh crore that I had talked about, for the whole country?” she asked, referring to a demand she had made on April 11, in a meeting with Modi.
Mamata said despite Bengal’s request, the Centre had not paid any heed to the suggestion of relaxing norms so that the state governments could borrow up to 5 per cent of its state domestic product from the market.
“In this hour of crisis, we need resources, but the Centre hasn’t listened to us,” she said, before adding that Delhi should earmark more resources to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic.
Mamata also demanded that states be allowed to borrow money from the Reserve Bank of India at lower rates and its was time for the Centre to review the 15th Finance Commission according to the drastically altered needs of the economy in the wake of the pandemic.
The chief minister cited the examples of the US, which allocated 10 per cent of its GDP, the UK, which assigned 15 per cent, and Japan, which set aside 20 per cent, to suggest a minimum of 5-6 per cent for India. “India can and must allot 5-6 per cent, at least, of its GDP,” she said.
The nominal GDP projection for 2019-20 was Rs 211 lakh crore, whose 5 per cent works out to Rs 10.55 lakh crore.
“It is only practical. It will benefit the nation,” she said.
“The states have had no earning, only burning. Thousands and thousands of crores we have been spent on infrastructure and relief measures amid the pandemic, although there is no income now,” she added.